The Trilogy of Two

Identical twins Sonja and Charlotte are musical prodigies with extraordinary powers. Born on All-Hallows-Eve, the girls could play music before they could walk. They were found one night by Tatty, the Tattooed Lady of the circus, in a pail on her doorstep with only a note and a heart-shaped locket. They've been with Tatty ever since, roaming the Outskirts in the circus caravans, moving from place to place, but lately, curious things have started to happen when they play their instruments. During one of their performances, the girls accidentally levitate their entire audience, drawing too much unwanted attention. Soon, ominous Enforcers come after them, and Charlotte and Sonja must embark on a perilous journey through enchanted lands in hopes of unlocking the secrets of their mysterious past.

'Charming . . . The lavishly illustrated fable of twin orphans growing up in a travelling circus in what Malouf calls a 'futuristic Dickensian world' was inspired by personal touchstones ranging from Charlotte Brontë to August Sander to her superstitious grandmother who believed in fortune-telling, and reflects Malouf's distinctive sense of style, which seems vaguely late Victorian but ultimately unmoored to a time or place.' NYT Magazine

'[An] ambitious debut.' - Kirkus Reviews

About the Author :
After graduation, Juman began looking for an outlet with creative control. Juman has stated,"I wanted to do my own thing, create my own world, and that's how I came to do a knitwear line, Charlotte Corday." Imbuing her theatrical roots into the designs, Juman developed embellished sweaters that drew a niche following in the early aughts and situated herself during the heyday of small New York brands. "As they say, 'We were big in Japan!'" Malouf quips. She assisted the stylist Yvonne Sporre, attending Olivier Theyskens and Jeremy Scott's first shows.
In addition to working on a knitwear line, Juman also began writing; her first book was The Trilogy of Two. Living between Paris and New York with Anderson, Juman worked on Trilogy for six or so years, while also collaborating on Anderson's films The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom. She was honing her own visual language, too: Her fictionalised book, Francine's Odyssey, earned a spot on the imagined bookshelf of Kingdom's young heroes.


Review :
The Trilogy of Two is full of inventiveness, with a world that's constructed ingeniously and characters who are vivid and attractive The world [Malouf] creates, through her appealing prose and her positively addictive illustrations, feels weird and true, vivid as a dream but way more entertaining Fans of Philip Pullman's sophisticated fantasy will love Juman Malouf's intricate, strange world of urchin children in a shadowy world full of evil cats, mysterious spheres, circus performers and a remarkable cast of ragtag characters... a complete joy A rollercoaster fantasy adventure... a combination of Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, His Dark Materials and more, this novel is sure to leave you breathless From the very first chapter, this whimsical book gripped and enraptured me in its original plot An original slant on the power of self belief and the perceived value of the arts A classic adventure story... there is never a dull moment to be had... a lot of fun The setting was gorgeously and intricately described... the illustrations were beautiful and made the whole novel that much more magical The author's imagination is fantastic, the story/characters are magical and whimsical... would make an amazing film if directed by Tim Burton! The Trilogy of Two thoroughly blew me away! I felt like I'd been swooped up into an adventure with new friends in magical lands and I didn't ever want to leave. I was sad when the book was done. I haven't had the joy of feeling like this about a new book in such a long time now. It was a lovely treat! I truly couldn't recommend it enough! 5/5 Vivid, exciting and beautifully illustrated. The talented Juman Malouf creates a world that you will want to delve back into immediately A new YA novel that shuffles the teen-dystopia deck with some Narnia-style fantasy... Designer and illustrator Juman Malouf sets quite a few plates spinning in The Trilogy of Two, her first novel. She keeps it all whirling with aplomb and no broken crockery - a bit of a circus performer herself. Plus, her line drawings are exquisite YA fiction's new spellbinder... The book's eccentric characters and the worlds-within-worlds they inhabit are richly illustrated... [Malouf's] prose is lyrical and evocative Whimsical... Malouf shows enough talent to stand on her own where whimsy and intrigue are concerned Fans of Miéville's Un Lun Dun will enjoy debut author Malouf's intricate worlds, each teeming with its own customs and creatures, as well as her equally intricate pencil illustrations, which highlight the characters' eccentricities... themes of sisterhood and believing in oneself will entrance readers An imaginative fantasy adventure with a unique arts focus So what if Juman Malouf's new book, The Trilogy of Two, is meant for children? The sweeping tale of twin girls travelling the country with their adoptive mother is a full 416 pages - gorgeous illustrations and all Quirky... with hints of L. Frank Baum's Oz and C.S. Lewis's Narnia Meticulously drawn and imaginative Juman Malouf brings her talent for conjuring the dark and whimsical to her debut young adult novel, The Trilogy of Two... [Malouf renders] every character in wonderfully moody and evocative pencil drawings. Filled with stray creatures of all kinds and nods to the occult, the author's morose tale will comfort clever children of the same stripe A work of deep and powerful imagination... The twins' adventures are riveting, but they're always connected to human traits: love, estrangement, treachery, wonder, and, above all, bravery. The exquisite pencil drawings are meticulous shaded, giving shape, with the utmost detail and wit, to the people, animals, and oddities that Juman has created Charming... The lavishly illustrated fable of twin orphans growing up in a travelling circus in what Malouf calls a 'futuristic Dickensian world' was inspired by personal touchstones ranging from Charlotte Brontë to August Sander to her superstitious grandmother who believed in fortune-telling, and reflects Malouf's distinctive sense of style, which seems vaguely late Victorian but ultimately unmoored to a time or place The Trilogy of Two is going to be a stand-out [An] ambitious debut